Buzz Break: 1984 Donruss Baseball Champions (six packs)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The packs: 1984 Donruss Baseball Champions
Where to buy: Check throwback spots ... hit BlowoutCards.com for newer MLB cards

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery for what was in this one.

Cards per pack: 5 (plus one Duke Snider puzzle card)
Base set completion: 26 of 60 (43 percent)
Duplicates: 7

Base cards – Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth (2), Cy Young (2), Frank Robinson, Walter Johnson (2), Gary Carter, Johnny Bench, Cal Ripken Jr., Joe Morgan, Carl Yastrzemski, Craig Nettles, Rod Carew, Bill Madlock, Jim Rice, Tom Seaver, Wade Boggs, Rollie Fingers, Phil Niekro, Reggie Jackson, Eddie Murray, Don Sutton, Cecil Cooper, Steve Garvey, Ben Ogilvie, checklist (2)

Rookie Cards – N/A

Insert/short-prints cards: None (unless you count the puzzle pieces ... I don't)

Autographs/Memorabilia: None.

What's Buzz-worthy: My final six-pack of this one delivered some names I hadn't found in my first two, and I think it completes the set for me ... if I were organized enough to remember where I put the others. Why is that a thought? With these cards being oversized 5-by-7s (twice the size of a normal card) means I put them in some oddball box somewhere and that size issue is, historically speaking, perhaps why sets like this never took off and can still be easily found in cheaper pack form to this day almost 40 years later. ... As I noted last time, I picked up a small lot of this favorite throwback of mine on the cheap -- well under $1 per pack -- and opted to break this one into some smaller lots for some quick throwback Buzz Breaks. Why rip these? I like this one among the run of over-sized sets from Donruss made from 1983 to 1987 because of the second part of its formal name ... "Yesterday & Today." The inclusion of all-time greats here on Dick Perez paintings gets us some big names and then the grouping of All-Stars from this era who are Hall of Famers now makes this one a nice package. Almost all cards found here were Hall of Famers -- 23 out of 30. Really, there are only three worries here ... the cello packs showing the cards mean the best names can be pulled out of a box just after looking at the pack, the oversized format (not as easy to store) and then the acid from the puzzle pieces has seeped into the card touching it since that unfinished side also has its own different acids in the paper. Not a major issue as you can find cards that don't have that issue within just a few packs. The set here is simple and small -- 60 cards -- and 36 of those are Hall of Famers and the larger size can make these nice cards for autographs from living players here, too. In short, there's a lot to like here in a small set.

Product Grade: A (of the Donruss sets from this era, I like this one for its throwbacks)
Lot Grade: A  (good Hall of Famer and all-time great presence)
Fun Grade: B (just the basics ... but some rough centering at times)

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